An aircraft comprising a cockpit delocalized outsided the nose

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns an aircraft comprising a cockpit situated outside the nose of the aircraft. The cockpit is situated in a lower part of a fin, the latter advantageously extending to a front end of the aircraft. Preferably, the aircraft has a lancet-shaped nose.

The invention concerns a cockpit for a civil transport aircraft, that is to say for a commercial aircraft transporting passengers, their baggage and/or goods. The cockpit is the space reserved for the pilots. It contains all the controls (controls for actuating control surfaces, lift-increasing flaps and the like, controls for actuating the landing gear, the engines, the air-brakes, etc.) and the instruments necessary for piloting the aircraft.

The architecture of aircraft has been fixed for many years, in particular as regards the position of the cockpit in aircraft. In order to give pilots good visibility of the outside scene forward of the aircraft, the cockpit is conventionally always located at the front of the fuselage, in a zone of the aircraft called the nose, provided with wide front and lateral window panes giving the pilots an unobstructed view not only forward of the aircraft, but also downward for the phases of landing and locomotion on the ground. In all that follows, “nose” is used to mean the whole of the front part of the fuselage, of modifiable form, configured to receive the crew, which extends forward generally from the rear partition of the cockpit or of a resting area for the crew in a conventional aircraft, and which comprises a radome and a housing for a front landing gear.

For aerodynamic reasons, the nose should ideally be lancet-shaped. However, the housing in the nose for radar, a landing gear and especially for the cockpit, requires a much more complex shape and structure to be provided, with numerous radii of curvature. In particular, the presence of the cockpit requires a windshield assembly to be provided having a large surface area in order to give operational physical visibility and to meet the rules and requirements for certification, such a glazed surface being very heavy which requires numerous structural reinforcements to be put in place which increase the mass of the aircraft still further, and make the nose one of the most complex parts of the aircraft to produce.

In order to optimize the view outside and in particular to limit the problems of optical distortion and the impact on the aerodynamics of the aircraft, the known windshield assemblies preferably comprise front panes which are flat or have a dual curvature with large radii, and this adds still further to the weight for the glazed part. The known windshield assemblies are complex parts to produce, which integrate poorly into the ideal aerodynamic shape of an aircraft and which weaken the nose due to discontinuities of shape and structural strength properties (the windshield assembly being a “non-working” surface) that they give rise to.

What is more, the positioning of the cockpit at the front of the aircraft extending in line with the passenger cabin reduces the size of that cabin all the more and the number of passengers capable of being received or their comfort, thereby limiting the financial profits for the airline company exploiting the aircraft.

The invention is directed to mitigating these drawbacks by providing an aircraft having an improved aerodynamic shape and a reduced mass.

The invention is also directed to providing an aircraft whose design and manufacture are simplified.

Another object of the invention is to enable the payload the aircraft can take aboard to be increased.

For this, the invention concerns an aircraft comprising a cockpit and a fin, this aircraft being remarkable in that the cockpit is situated outside the nose of the aircraft, at least partially in a lower part of said fin.

In other words, according to the invention, the cockpit is delocalized outside the nose of the aircraft. This delocalization leads to the elimination of the windshield assembly provided in the earlier aircraft, and thereby the elimination of reinforcements which the presence of such a windshield assembly gives rise to. The ensuing weight and cost savings are considerable. Furthermore, the shape of the nose may henceforth evolve towards a shape that is perfect in aerodynamic terms, that is to say of lancet-shaped profile. This new shape for the nose also results in simplifying the production of the nose.

Furthermore, the volume recovered in the nose both by the delocalization of the cockpit and by the increase in volume that a pure lancet-shaped profile gives rise to may be configured to receive additional passenger seats or new functions, for example a VIP lounge capable of offering the passengers a hitherto unavailable view of the environment forward of the aircraft, via windows of small surface area whose impact on the structure of the nose is low.

Thus, in the case of a passenger transport aircraft, comprising a cabin configured to receive passengers, the cabin advantageously extends to a front end of the aircraft.

In general terms, the payload (passengers or freight) of the aircraft may be increased by a new configuration of the nose.

The position of the cockpit in the fin presents numerous advantages. It enables the pilots to have better direct visibility of the aircraft itself, and for example to monitor the behavior of its wings and its set of control surfaces.

The delocalization of the cockpit into the base of the fin enables the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft to be appreciably improved. On an aircraft of large size, for example on an aircraft of the type known under the name A330®, a cockpit fully integrates into the thickness of the base of the fin, and should therefore not penalize the aircraft in aerodynamic terms.

The nose fully takes advantage of this new architecture since it may henceforth be of lancet-shaped profile. Overall, the aerodynamics of the aircraft are thus improved.

Conventionally, the cockpit comprises at least one of the following technical means:

-   -   flight instruments,     -   a system for viewing the flight instruments,     -   at least one seat for a pilot.

According to a possible feature, the cockpit comprises a first and a second pilot seat, the second pilot seat being disposed behind and above the first pilot seat, in the same longitudinal vertical plane.

The integration of the cockpit in a lower part of the fin is made in a location which to date has not been used, that location being occupied by a non-working fairing of the fin. The replacement of that non-working fairing by glazed surfaces for the delocalized cockpit does not therefore require structural reinforcements to be provided.

Furthermore, the integration of the cockpit in a lower part of the fin enables an additional configurable volume to be recovered, which was hitherto unused. The zone located under the cockpit in prior aircraft is a zone that is conventionally not commercially exploited. By shifting the rear fluid-tight partition of the cabin to the location of the APU compartment where the auxiliary generator system is installed and by positioning the horizontal tail higher than is customary, it is possible to retrieve a large volume, which is of no value for the cabin, but which is advantageous for the aircraft crew. As a matter of fact, this volume may be configured as a living area (with a room for resting) for the crew, this living area communicating directly with the cockpit and which could communicate with the cabin by an armored door, the access to which is reserved, to deter any act of infraction and terrorism. The comfort and safety of the crew are thereby improved. The creation of this area rendered safe for all the crew is made without taking volume away from the cabin and thus without reducing the cargo and/or the number of passengers able to be received or their comfort.

Thus, the APU compartment of the aircraft is advantageously closed by a fluid-tight forward partition, extending to the rear of the fin or below a rear portion of the fin, and separating said APU compartment from a pressurized area configured to receive members of the crew.

The delocalization of the cockpit into a lower part of the fin a priori presents a drawback: a loss of direct visibility under the aircraft nose, which visibility is desirable especially when the aircraft is in the phases of locomotion on the ground.

In usual manner, the cockpit comprises a surface, referred to as viewing surface for piloting, giving at least one pilot a view of an outside scene comprising the environment of the aircraft forward of the aircraft.

In the aircraft according to the invention, to compensate for the loss of visibility caused by the delocalization of the cockpit, at least part of the viewing surface for piloting is formed by display means for a digital image representing at least part of an outside scene comprising the environment of the aircraft forward of the aircraft.

For example, the display means comprise one or more of the following means:

a screen and associated means for projection (including back-projection) a device with lasers for forming a holographic image.

The loss of visibility which results from the delocalization of the cockpit is thus compensated for by the provision of a digital image including for example the lost field of vision. This digital image of the outside scene may be formed from video data supplied by an on-board video camera, disposed for example at the front of the aircraft or in a fin of the aircraft, and/or on the basis of data stored in data banks or supplied by other video cameras (for example for the phases of locomotion on the ground). It may be cleaned. It may also be enriched by the use of a technology chosen from 3D representation technologies or augmented reality technologies, etc., capable of improving the perception by the pilot of the outside scene, and thereby of increasing safety. For example, if an obstacle is detected on the path of the aircraft (in flight, this may be a storm cloud, on the ground, a vehicle situated on the runway or a parking place in an airport), it is possible to modify a video image of the outside scene so as to draw the pilot's attention to that obstacle: by putting the obstacle into relief (3D representation); by accentuating the outline of the obstacle (augmented reality); by embedding within the image the representation of the aircraft according to the invention next to the obstacle (while taking account of the current course of the aircraft), or still another possibility is by embedding within the image the plot of the path that the aircraft should take to avoid the obstacle with certainty.

Preferably, the cockpit lacks any glazed surfaces, and the entirety of the viewing surface for piloting is formed by display means, which facilitates its integration into the fin or into any location in the hold.

Other details and advantages of the present invention will appear from the reading of the following description, which refers to the diagrammatic appended drawings and which relates to preferred embodiments, provided by way of non-limiting examples. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a cockpit according to the invention, which may be delocalized in a hold or in the fin.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an aircraft according to the invention of which part of the structure is transparent so as to see the cockpit, delocalized in a lower part of the fin.

The cockpit 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 has a viewing surface 1 for piloting which is entirely formed by a screen that is spherical (or possibly ovoid or of lancet-shaped profile), for example by an organic light-emitting diode screen (this technology enabling curved screens to be designed). This screen may form a continuous surface or be constituted by several separate sub-screens.

The cockpit further comprises a first seat 5 for a first pilot arranged substantially at the center of the spherical cap formed by the screen, and a second seat 6 for a second pilot arranged to the rear and offset to one side of the first seat 5. The expressions “to the rear”, “forward”, “to the side” make reference here to a direction defined by a central axis of the cockpit passing through a central point of the viewing surface for piloting 1 and through a central point of a sitting surface of the first pilot seat 5 and passing from said seat 5 to the viewing surface for piloting 1. Preferably, this central axis of the cockpit coincides with a central longitudinal axis of the aircraft, in order for the pilot to be installed in the “direction of travel” and to experience the same sensations as in a conventional cockpit. It is to be noted that the illustrated cockpit is configured to receive two pilots but that it is also possible to provide only one pilot (the cockpit then only comprises a single pilot seat).

Each seat 5, 6 is mounted on a rack slide (not shown in the drawings) preferably extending along the central axis of the cockpit, and thus enabling displacement of the seat along that axis. Forward of the rack slide of the first seat 5 are situated two rudder pedals (not visible in the drawings). The rack slide thus makes it possible to adjust the distance between the pilot seat 5 and the rudder pedals, according to the size of the pilot.

The cockpit also comprises a first instrument panel 7 which, in position of use, follows an arc of a circle substantially centered on a central point of the rack slide of the first seat 5, and a second instrument panel 8 which, in position of use, follows an arc of a circle substantially centered on a central point of the rack slide of the second seat 6.

The instrument panels 7, 8 each comprise a touch screen of transparent OLED type. Thus, the screen 2 to 4 of the viewing surface for piloting 1 is visible through the two instrument panels.

The digital image of the outside scene projected (or backprojected) onto the screen 2 to 4 is for example formed from a video image of the outside environment captured by an on-board video camera (not shown), which may be housed in the nose of the aircraft or in a fin of the aircraft. It may as a variant or in combination be reconstituted from images stored in data banks (on-board or on the ground).

The outside scene so filmed from the aircraft or reconstituted may be:

an outside scene as is seen in a conventional aircraft, that is to say the environment of the aircraft forward of its nose; the environment of the aircraft and the aircraft seen from its fin (looking towards the front of the aircraft) the environment of the aircraft and the aircraft seen from a point situated to the rear of the aircraft and at a higher or lower altitude (this point of view being fixed relative to the aircraft, but preferably capable of being chosen by the pilot).

In a preferred version of the invention the images of several outside scenes are produced and made available to the pilot, and the display means comprise means for selecting the display enabling the pilot to select the scene or scenes he wishes to display, depending, for example, on his manner of piloting or on the situation (phase of flight, weather conditions, etc.).

Furthermore, one or more of the following elements may be added to that digital image of the outside scene:

one or more images superposed relative to the digital image of the outside scene on the viewing surface 1 for piloting, for example such as:

-   -   an arrow representing the path the aircraft should follow, as         recommended by a pilot on the ground given various obstacles         (other vehicles on the ground, clouds, etc.) present on the         current path of the aircraft; this example is illustrated in         FIG. 1,     -   the drawing of the outline or placing in relief or in color of         an obstacle in the video image in order to draw the pilot's         attention to that obstacle,     -   a graphical representation of one or more flight instruments,         such as an artificial horizon, an anemometer, an altimeter, a         directional gyroscope or horizontal situation indicator, etc.,         an image formed holographically outside of (for example in front         of) the viewing surface 1 for piloting, for example such as:     -   a hologram representing a 3D mesh of the earth's surface         extending under and forward of the aircraft, it being possible         for part of the hologram to be superposed relative to the         digital image of the outside scene on the viewing surface for         piloting 1, another part being able to invade the cockpit space;     -   a hologram representing a terrestrial globe with a modified         flight plan which the aircraft should follow until the end of         the mission, as recommended by an assistant pilot on the ground         having the task of managing the flight mission (the pilot in the         aircraft then only having the task of flying the aircraft, which         considerably reduces his workload) given the various obstacles         present on the current flight plan of the aircraft,     -   a hologram representing for example an assistant pilot on the         ground, by way of warning signal in case of some kind of danger.     -   a holographical representation of one or more flight         instruments, such as an artificial horizon, an anemometer, an         altimeter, a directional gyroscope or horizontal situation         indicator, etc.

In accordance with the invention, this cockpit 10 is situated entirely outside the nose. The passenger cabin 11 then advantageously extends into the nose up to the front end of the aircraft. The cockpit 10 according to the invention is housed in a lower part of a fin 12 of the aircraft, as FIG. 2 shows. It is possible to provide a glazed surface to form part of the viewing surface for piloting since the structure of the fin at that location bears no load. Nevertheless, it is also possible to provide a viewing surface for piloting entirely formed by a screen and associated projection means, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

The disposition of the pilot seats may differ from that presented in FIG. 1, according to the width available in the fin. For example, it is possible to dispose the second pilot seat to the rear of and above the first pilot seat, in the same longitudinal vertical plane.

The rear fluid-tight partition 13 of the cabin 11 is offset to the location of the APU compartment 14 where an auxiliary generator system is installed. A large volume 15 is thus recovered, which is of no interest for the cabin 11, but which is of interest for the aircraft crew. As a matter of fact, this volume may be configured as a living area (with a room for resting) for the crew, this living area communicating directly with the cockpit 10 and may communicate with the cabin 11 by an armored door 16, the access to which is reserved, to deter any act of infraction and terrorism. The comfort and safety of the crew are thereby improved. The creation of this area 15 rendered safe for all the crew is made without taking volume away from the cabin 11 and thus without reducing the cargo and/or the number of passengers able to be received or their comfort.

Thus, the APU compartment 14 of the aircraft is closed by the fluid-tight partition 13 which extends to the rear of the fin 12 or below a rear portion of the fin 12, and separates said APU compartment from a pressurized area 15 configured to receive members of the crew.

The invention may be the object of numerous variants relative to the embodiments described and illustrated, provided those variants remain within the scope delimited by the appended claims. 

1. An aircraft comprising a cockpit (10) and a fin (12), characterized in that the cockpit (10) is situated outside the nose of the aircraft, at least partially in a lower part of said fin.
 2. An aircraft according to claim 1 comprising a first and a second pilot seat, characterized in that the second pilot seat (6) is disposed to the rear of and above the first pilot seat (5), in the same longitudinal vertical plane.
 3. An aircraft according to claim 1 comprising, at the rear of its fuselage, what is referred to as an APU compartment (14) integrating an auxiliary generator system, characterized in that the APU compartment (14) is closed by a fluid-tight forward partition (13) extending to the rear of the fin (12) or below a rear portion of the fin, and separating said APU compartment (14) from a pressurized area (15) configured to receive members of the crew.
 4. An aircraft according to claim 3, characterized in that said pressurized area (15) configured to receive crew members is separated from a cabin (11) configured to receive passengers by an armored door (16).
 5. An aircraft according to claim 1, of which the cockpit comprises a surface, referred to as viewing surface for piloting, giving at least one pilot a view of an outside scene comprising the environment of the aircraft forward of the aircraft, characterized in that at least part of the viewing surface for piloting is formed by display means for a digital image representing at least part of an outside scene comprising the environment of the aircraft forward of the aircraft.
 6. A passenger transport aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that said cockpit (10) comprises a glazed surface.
 7. An aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that, the cockpit (10) lacks any glazed surfaces and the entirety of the viewing surface for piloting is formed by said display means.
 8. An aircraft according to claim 1, wherein said cabin (11) is configured to receive passengers, characterized in that the cabin (11) extends to a front end of the aircraft. 